Basketball

Philippines to host 2017 SEABA championships

Paul Lintag on Jan 23, 2017 04:46 PM

The Philippine national team will once again enjoy home court advantage for its first tournament of 2017.

Gilas Pilipinas' first tournament of 2017 finally has a date and place.

The national team led by returning head coach Chot Reyes won't travel far for the SEABA Tournament as the Philippines is set to host the regional joust on April 23-30.

Reyes himself confirmed the development on his Twitter account Monday, barely 24 hours since he and the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas announced the complete list of the 24-man pool for the latest iteration of Gilas Pilipinas.

We just rcvd confirmation that SEABA has awarded the Men's senior & U16 hosting to Manila, Apr 23-30. #LabanPilipinasPuso!

Unlike previous SEABA tournaments though, the 2017 version is an absolute must-win for the Philippines at it serves as the qualifier for the 2017 FIBA-Asia Cup (formerly the FIBA-Asia championships) later this year.

Only the SEABA champion will get the invite.

The a different set of circumstances this time around, Reyes and his staff is expected to assemble the best team available for the tournament. Per the new program, the Gilas cadets are to be pulled out two months before a major competition to train while the other half of the pool, composed of PBA veterans, are to be pulled out a month before.